Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn assumed DIA directorship and command of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JFCC-ISR) from Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess in front of a large audience assembled to honor both men, their families, and the agency's contributions to national defense.

A Department of Defense combat support agency and an important member of the United States Intelligence Community, DIA provides all-source defense intelligence to prevent strategic surprise and deliver a decision advantage to warfighters, defense planners, and policymakers.

Speaking as the current Secretary of Defense and a past CIA director, Panetta praised Flynn's achievements and capabilities. "Mike Flynn brings to this position decades of experience in military intelligence. His knowledge of the 21st century battlefield is unsurpassed," he said. Flynn's past deployments included operations URGENT FURY (Grenada), UPHOLD DEMOCRACY (Haiti), IRAQI FREEDOM (Iraq) and ENDURING FREEDOM (Afghanistan).

Panetta also thanked the DIA workforce, "the dedicated men and women, who work every day and every night, without fanfare, to keep our nation safe." Looking back over the past decade, the secretary added, "The landscape has changed, but it's changed for the better. DIA in particular has evolved into a global agency, which operates wherever our forces are engaged and at every point along the chain of command. Military intelligence is now far more integrated, far more effective, and more vital than ever to our ability to defend this country."

Flynn comes to DIA having recently served as assistant director of national intelligence for partner engagement. He has served throughout his 31-year career in a variety of command and staff positions to include director of intelligence (J2) for the Joint Staff and director of intelligence for International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1981 and was commissioned through the university's ROTC program. As the 18th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Flynn commands JFCC-ISR under U.S. Strategic Command headed by Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler who remarked, "The alignment of JFCC-ISR and DIA makes good sense. We have leveraged the power and capabilities of the DIA, the collection management responsibilities of its director, and the global planning and operational focus of the combatant commander."

Flynn will oversee a worldwide DIA workforce of more than 16,500 military and civilian employees who often deploy alongside warfighters and interagency partners to defend America's national-security interests.